‘Next Face’ Victor Wembanyama’s Lack of Impact Could Threaten Adam Silver’s $76 Billion Plan, Per Ex-NBA Champion

What does the future of the NBA look like after LeBron James and Stephen Curry’s exit? After having been the face of the league for over 15 years, the prospect of the duo no longer being a part of the league is unthinkable for many. Unfortunately, with LeBron being 39 and Curry 36 years of age, the scenario is unavoidable. Having witnessed the changes that came after Michael Jordan’s retirement, another star player like Victor Wembanyama could certainly help in keeping the situation stable. However, a group of former NBA stars don’t believe that the French sensation is quite there yet.

In a recent segment of his long-running show, Gilbert Arenas questioned whether TV Deals will get affected after LeBron and Curry’s exit, just like they did after ‘His Airness’s departure. Joining in as guest host, former NBA champion Dwight Howard disagreed with the assessment. However, he did believe that losing the veterans would bring down the sales of tickets, as their popularity has made them prominent crowd pullers. This caused co-host Josiah Johnson to further question if Wembanyama could be the next crowd-puller in a few years. This query was shut down as soon as the words left Johnson’s mouth.

“Wemby? No! Wemby don’t have that kind of impact,” said Howard.

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Contrary to what Dwight Howard might believe, a drop in ticket sales might not be the only thing awaiting the league. With NBA commissioner Adam Silver having recently snubbed TNT, the media deals are set to go to Amazon, Disney, and NBC Sports as part of an 11-year, $76 billion contract. While the NBA Board of Governors has reportedly approved the deal, it is yet to be finalized. Doubts have already started to come in whether the deal will go through, as the organizations may be dissuaded by the average rating of 5.8, along with the 11.31 million viewers, that made the 2024 NBA Finals the lowest viewed in the last three years. LeBron James and Stephen Curry’s exit can affect television viewership as much as it can affect ticket sales. After all, according to a report released by the NBA in April, the games played by the LA Lakers legend (1.9 billion views) and the Warriors star (1.7 billion views) topped the list after analyzing the NBA social and digital platforms during the regular season.

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Josiah Johnson may not be wrong about Victor Wembanyama’s impact, as he was the third most-viewed player (1.3 billion views) after LeBron and Curry. Over 4.91 million viewers tuned in to watch Wemby’s draft last year, while this year’s first-round event had a slight dip of 4.41 million viewers. If that isn’t enough, the French rookie’s debut game brought in over 2.99 million viewers, making it the most-watched opening night game in 11 years. A 220% increase in NBA League Pass viewership was seen from France itself!

Unfortunately, several factors can affect the viewership scenario in the coming years. Wemby is no longer a rookie, and the focus might return to the new crop of players or existing veterans. On top of that, the 7-foot-4 star is currently part of a franchise that currently has a 44-120 record, and hasn’t made the playoffs in five seasons. However, Adam Silver himself seems to have confidence in Wemby’s ability to provide an impact. Or, it is a belief that two podcasters have linked to the Spurs getting an increase in games for the next NBA season.

Is Adam Silver allegedly using Victor Wembanyama to increase early viewership during the 2024-25 NBA season?It was only two weeks ago when the NBA franchises released their schedule for the upcoming 2024-25 season. The same brought a surprise for San Antonio fans, as the Silver and Black donning players will be seen in a U.S. wide broadcast for over 21 games i.e almost one-fourth of their regular season. This is the highest number of nationally televised games that the Spurs will be a part of, and a big improvement from the 4 televised games back in 2022. This change has raised the question of whether Victor Wembanyama’s popularity has resulted in the same.

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In a recent segment of the ‘Ringer NBA’ podcast, former Utah Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor claimed that the league is allegedly “forcing early” the Spurs games. After all, “this team might not be great early but they have Victor Wembanyama, who could be better, even better in a second year and should be way better in a second year and they added veterans to support the team where you’re hoping that it’s not blowouts.”

via Reuters

Whether Adam Silver played a role in this change or not, it is something that O’Connor supports, since “people want to see him.” For now, no one can make a clear prediction on whether Wemby has the potential to be the ‘next face’ after LeBron and Steph’s exit. However, as long as the veterans continue to be in the league, Wemby’s viewership rates can serve as a testing ground.

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Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.